Pittsfield Little League 11s, 10s See Tourney Runs End

By Leland BarnesiBerkshires.com Sports
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PITTSFIELD , Mass. — After a strong outing by pitcher Cam Ginnity, the Holden Little League 11-year-old All-Stars defeated Pittsfield, 15-1, to move on in the Section 1 tournament on Sunday at Deming Park
 
Each team went into the elimination game with a 1-1 record.
 
Holden’s offense sparked early in the game with a series of walks finished off by a two-RBI single by Cole Pare, and a run scored on a passed ball.
 
During the game Pittsfield's offense struggled heavily against Ginnity
 
He registered five total strikeouts as well as going the distance in the run-rule win.
 
“Cam [Ginnity] is one of our better pitchers, he also has a really good team of players behind him,” Holden coach Matt Gull said.
 
Offensively, Holden’s Evan Zaccaria went 2-for-2 with a double, single and a walk.
 
He also came around the bases and recorded two of his team's runs.
 
Holden will now face off against Westfield who has proven to be a difficult team to face.
 
On Saturday, Westfield beat Pittsfield, 13-2. 
 
“It's always difficult to face a team like Pittsfield,” Gull said. “It's always a tough game facing Westfield. We've faced them a bit in the last few years and we will see what happens.”
 
Pittsfield's energy was definitely there all game. But unfortunate events, including six miscues in the field, caused a lot of runs to be scored against them.
 
Pittsfield pitchers Edaniel Hebert and Troy Maloy split time on the mound, allowing eight earned runs in the loss.
 
They made a lot of contact at the plate, too, but Ginnity’s velocity and location kept Pittsfield’s hitters off balance.
 
An exception came in the bottom of the first.
 
Oliver Brown got his team’s first hit but was erased trying to get to third on Ryder Froio’s single. Froio took second on the throw and scored on Connor Dalton’s single one batter later to trim Pittsfield’s deficit to 3-1.
 
The bottom of the order for Holden secured its win, scoring seven of the team’s total 15 runs.
 
Including a good day at the plate from Mike Bristol, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
 
This game ended Pittsfield 11s tournament run, unfortunately. But the District 1 champs will have a chance to move up next spring to 12-year-old squad.
 

10-Year-Old Sectional

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield Little League 10-year-old All-Stars also ended Pittsfield’s Section 1 tournament on Sunday, beating their Western Mass rivals, 13-3.
 
Chase Albano went 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Shaun Boehm had a single and an RBI for PIttsfield.
 
Pittsfield used four different pitchers in the five-inning game.
 
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BCC Sees $1M in Federal Funds for Trades Academy

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal secured $995,000 to begin design and construction of the academy. The congressman had earlier attended the Norman Rockwell Museum business breakfast, which celebrated Laurie Norton Moffatt's 49 years leading the institution.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College was awarded nearly $1 million in federal funds to support a Trades Academy. 

On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal visited the college to highlight the $995,000 he secured through congressionally directed spending. Executive Director of Workforce and Community Education Linda Clairmont said BCC can be a destination for adults who want to learn a skilled trade. 

"I want to join up with the amazing work that Taconic and McCann (vocational high schools) are doing to prepare people for these really specific skills, helping people become confident professionals with a direct path to high-wage, high-demand jobs," she explained. 

"And we're also addressing the labor shortage that exists in this county, around the state, and around the country, in the skilled trades." 

The federal funding will support a feasibility study of an existing vacant building on campus, as well as the evaluation and abatement of any hazardous materials at the location, because it was once a power plant. 

BCC will dip its toe into the skilled trades with its first HVAC training program, for which it received $1.2 million from the state in support. The $995,000 in federal funds will go toward creating the academy in a building located on the main campus, and the HVAC heat pump training program will be funded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. 

The $1 million in federal monies will get the college to construction documents, maybe fund some construction, and help identify the necessary equipment and other learning space needs for a skilled trade, Clairmont reported. 

The funding is part of more than $14 million in congressionally directed spending secured by the congressman to support economic development, workforce training, and community infrastructure across the Berkshires.

Neal said there are about 6.5 million jobs in the United States that go unanswered every day.

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